sign in sign up
<<
Home , Berg Castle (Bavaria), Neuschwanstein Castle

Children's Book and Media Review

Volume 25 Issue 5 Article 7

2004

King Ludwig's : 's Neuschwanstein

AnnMarie Hamar

Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cbmr

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Hamar, AnnMarie (2004) "King Ludwig's castle: Germany's Neuschwanstein," Children's Book and Media Review: Vol. 25 : Iss. 5 , Article 7. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cbmr/vol25/iss5/7

This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Children's Book and Media Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Hamar: King Ludwig's castle: Germany's Neuschwanstein

Trumbauer, Lisa. King Ludwig's Castle: Germany's Neuschwanstein. Bearport, 2005. ISBN 1597160024. $22.60. 32 pp.

Reviewer: AnnMarie Hamar Reading Level: Primary Rating: Excellent Genre: Informational books; Subject: Ludwig II, King of , 1845-1886----Germany--Bavaria--Juvenile literature; Schloss Neuschwanstein (Germany)--Juvenile literature; --Juvenile literature; Germany--Juvenile literature; Book--Reviews;

Germany's is probably best known as the model for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. In reality it was meant to be the dream castle for King Ludwig II of Bavaria. As a boy, Ludwig was fascinated by stories of ancient kingdoms, castles, and brave knights. He was especially intrigued by the story of , a swan that turned into a German prince. When he became King of Bavaria at the age of eighteen, he began work on a that was to be larger than his family’s summer home of . The building of Neuschwanstein became such an obsession for Ludwig that he spent all of his money on its construction and asked other countries to help fund the project. Unfortunately, Ludwig lost his kingdom in 1871, was declared mad by the German government in 1886, and was locked up in where he died two days after his arrest. He never had the opportunity to live in his dream castle.

Trumbauer has visited Neuschwanstein several times and writes as one well-acquainted with the castle and its history. Currently, fifteen of the opulent rooms are open to visitors. The text is minimal but informative with crisply reproduced color photographs and art work for illustrations. Particularly intriguing are photographs showing swan-shaped faucets in the bathrooms and a room designed to look like a cave. The book follows the format of others in the Castle, Palace & Tomb series with a "Just the Facts" section, glossary, and timeline of events at the end of the text. A bibliography and list of useful websites are also included. However, what really stands out is the way Trumbauer has captured the life of a monarch obsessed with castle building.

Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2004 1